Most people think stand-up comics spend decades polishing their act to get good at telling jokes. But for the past 23 years, Steph Tolev has used every ounce of stage time to build up the proper amount of dirt to smear across a long career built on depravity, perversion and lethal amounts of bathroom humor to become comedy’s reigning “Filth Queen.” It’s a title she wears proudly (and literally) on her back when she takes the stage in her signature jumpsuit emblazoned with her new title in the world of stand-up. It’s also the name of her latest Netflix special, out Tuesday.
Since moving to L.A. from her native Toronto over a decade ago, Tolev’s guttural Cookie Monster growls, no-holds-barred humor and shaggy mullet have helped her explode onto the stand-up scene in America in a way that makes fans of the “bluest” (read: raunchiest) comedy begin to blush. But Tolev’s comedy works on crowds because deep down, everybody’s gross.
A few years ago, her humor caught the attention of superstar comics, including Bill Burr, who offered her a spot on a Netflix special [2022’s “Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill”], after seeing one of her viral clips online. But that immediate attraction to her gross-out humor led him and others down a rabbit hole of material she’s cultivated for years. It’s finally resulted in a special that simultaneously serves as a coronation and an introduction for a comedian whose smut-covered star continues to shine. Recently, Tolev spoke to The Times about planning out her big solo debut on Netflix, turning it into one big rock concert and giving women the fortitude to fart in front of their significant others.
This conversation was edited for length and clarity.
Considering what you’ve been able to cultivate in your comedy career since your last Netflix special [being featured on “Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill”], what’s it like to look back and see your development?
It’s nice, because I’ve been doing this for 23 years, so before I even got that Burr thing I had already been touring for years. I started when I was 17 years old — so it’s been a long journey. It’s nice to have these landmarks or events that I can look back and be like, “Oh, my God!” I’m very proud. It’s been slow and steady. Some people have bypassed and gotten big online and whatever, but I look back and I’m so happy that this is how my career developed, because I’m ready now. If I got this when I was, like, 20, I’d be bad. I’m sure if you saw me on the Bill Burr thing you’re like, “Who’s this?” because you didn’t know who the hell I was, and then you went back and you could see “Oh, this person has 3,000 videos and they have all these albums.” It’s not like I came out of nowhere and I have nothing to back up what I do.
I definitely found myself falling through the rabbit hole of your videos after watching that. Meanwhile, you were in the scene in L.A. doing your thing already. But that special [“Friends Who Kill”] was just a first push off where things kind of just changed for you.
They definitely did. Bill Burr definitely had a big hand in that. Because he saw a clip of mine first online — this “I’m Walking Here” video in New York and he shared it. And then from that, he asked me to do a special.
What’s it like getting in the vicinity of someone as big as Burr, who tells you they’re a fan of what you do. How did you handle it?
“All my filthy stories are real, like nothing I say in my specials is made up. I know comics make up stories and everything. I don’t think I could have made up half that stuff. It’s bizarre,” Tolev said.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
At first, it didn’t feel real. When he DMed me, I thought it was a joke account. I was like, “OK, some fake Bill Burr account is saying I’m hilarious.” And then after meeting him — it’s funny, when you meet your idols and they’re so down to earth and chill, you’re like, “Oh, OK, he’s just a normal guy who finds me funny.” So I think when you meet someone and you realize how chill they are, that makes it way cooler, not as nerve-racking. But it was very refreshing to have someone that you look up to that is that funny, that is so well respected, also find you funny. Because, you guys don’t see the hate that a lot of us see online, especially female comedians, all we get is trolled. This morning, I deleted like 10 comments saying I’m ugly and I have a big nose. I’m like, “Yeah, I know.” People tell me like I don’t know. I’m like, “Oh, it’s not small?” Like, what the heck, it’s psychotic. But having someone like [Burr] find you funny kind of makes everything feel much easier and better. I’m like, “Who cares if someone doesn’t like me? Bill Burr finds me funny.”
The vibe and stage setup of your special kind of mimics a live rock concert. Was that an idea you had going into it?
Yes, that was my big thing. Because I’ve been like a rocker since I was 14,15 years old. My dad listened to grunge music, so I grew up to, like, Alice in Chains and [Stone Temple Pilots]. So that’s all I listened to as a kid growing up. As soon as I was allowed to go to concerts, I went to concerts every single weekend. And my energy onstage is so big that I felt like I want people to feel like they’re at a live rock concert. And the venue where we did the special is the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. I didn’t want to do a normal theater. I don’t want to do any spoilers, but there might be some crowd-surfing at the end. I really wanted to end my set by crowd-surfing. So what better way to do it than at an actual rock club?
Right now, comedians seem to be the rock stars of this current entertainment era. Do you see there being a similarity between going to see live music and going to a comedy show?
I guess, for sure. I think there’s that saying that every comic wants to be a rock star. I have a mullet … I think I feel like people need to experience more live stuff. Because you’re not gonna watch, like, a live show on your phone and go, “Oh, I don’t need to go see that band live.” But I feel like a lot of people see comedians on TikTok and stuff, like, “No, I’m good.” I’m like, no, you gotta go. You gotta go be in the moment. Especially because so many comics do crowd work now, and it’s such an organic experience, and you’re actually seeing a live show. Back in the ’80s, you wouldn’t have seen Van Halen on a news conference and been like, “I don’t [need to] see them live,” though you simply must go see them live. That’s the whole point. So I think there is a parallel [between comedy and music]. I think just being present and actually getting off your phones and going to see something and experience a moment, instead of just sitting on your a— and scrolling.
I appreciate the level of filth that you come with in this special, not only in terms of subject matter but also just the energy. I think anyone who’s seen you knows this. But again, the whole thing about a special is you’re introducing yourself to a new group of people.
And I do want to say all my filthy stories are real, like nothing I say in my specials is made up. I know comics make up stories and everything. I don’t think I could have made up half that stuff. It’s bizarre. Like, I didn’t want to be choked in a basement. I don’t want to be hung from a sex swing. There’s all these big things that have happened to me that I’m, like, I just happen to lead a filthy life. I don’t want to. I would not like to be like this. I would like a nice, normal date with a man who takes me home and doesn’t kill his dog at night. I don’t want these things to happen to me, but they simply do. So I hope that the special makes people see that maybe their life isn’t as horrendous as mine. And makes them feel better and more confident about themselves and being more old. Especially the farting [jokes I do]. I’m not sure if you watched that part where I talk about how a lot of women don’t fart in front of their partners. It’s bizarre behavior.
“I want to be in a wrestling ring so badly. I don’t know how I haven’t. I look and sound like a wrestler already. I watched a little bit growing up,” Tolev said. “I love the bad guys. I’d be a bad guy of course.”
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Who are these people?
I don’t know, people who don’t live their lives. My stomach would hurt all the time. Yeah, that’s crazy. I might fart now. I won’t. I’ll hold it in now, because we just met, but normally I would be funny.
Hopefully by the end of this interview you feel comfortable enough to rip one. Going back to your presence onstage, you’re delivery in the stories you tell is usually very over the top. As a wrestler, I think you could be a character who would go be a killer in the ring.
I want to be in a wrestling ring so badly. I don’t know how I haven’t. I look and sound like a wrestler already. I watched a little bit growing up. I wasn’t a massive wrestling fan, but I watched the intros and stuff, but the wrestling itself, I was, like, whatever. But I loved seeing [wrestlers] come in and the crazy storylines, getting the crowd all on your side, or getting them not on your side. I love the bad guys. I’d be a bad guy of course. I’d be ripping everybody in half, yeah, just getting chokeslammed. I’d love it.
And the “Filth Queen” romper you wear in the special is perfect for the ring.
Is WWE listening to this? Please cast me!
Does your comedy help open the door for not just more great female comics but comics who are female, who are just out there scaring the crap out of anyone and everyone?
I think there are a lot of us. Maybe you haven’t seen a lot of them. I don’t know if you know Jordan Jensen, she’s incredible, she’s out there giving it to people too. There’s so many — but I feel like there’s so many women that are like me, and they just don’t have the platform to openly talk about this kind of stuff. In my meet-and-greet lines, it’s all women being like, “I think these things, I want to say these things,” but it’s, like, either they’ve lived a sheltered life and they don’t feel comfortable, or they’re surrounding themselves with people who don’t like when people talk like that. Nothing, I say, is like some weird, repulsive thing. It’s something gross we’ve all done. We’ve all had a bad sex story, we’ve all embarrassed ourselves. We all had really bad one-night stands. It’s giving a voice to not even just women, men too who maybe feel sheltered and feel like they can’t be their full self.
What has it been like developing in the L.A. stand-up comedy scene right now?
I think the L.A. scene right now is amazing. All the main clubs, the bookers are women, and it’s very nice to see that, because they’re much more inclusive, with a lot more people, and the lineups are way more diverse. You’re seeing a lot of new people who kind of came out of nowhere, that are really funny, that have been doing for a long time, but now getting the opportunity to be on these bigger stages. I don’t know if it’s because I’m at a higher level, but the community feels much more inspiring and much more supportive. I feel like when I first moved here years ago, 11 years ago, I’d go to places like the Comedy Store and I felt like people didn’t want me there, but now I feel like even when newer comics come, everyone is so much more supportive and they want to meet people, and it just feels more like a community. I don’t know when that happened, but it definitely feels like that right now, which is awesome. I started out here in the alt scene, which I think might be on a bit of a downswing right now, because some of the bigger shows are not happening, but I think it’ll swing back up again. But right now, I think the clubs are, like, they’re doing the right thing. It feels good.
In terms of just being able to harness crowd energy, what does it feel like when you’re actually in the moment, crushing it onstage?
It’s a high that I can’t really explain. Like, it’s you when you feel that, when you feel the whole crowd on your side, that’s [the feeling] you try to chase. It’s like, I guess that’s what drug addicts do … it’s hard to explain the exact feeling. But then it’s when you bomb, it’s — I can’t explain [it]. I bomb all the time. I bombed two weeks ago, and guess what? I cried the whole drive home. I was at the Laugh Factory. If you were there, you saw that show filled to the brim, not one laugh. I don’t know what happened. … they really hated me. That low [feeling], I can’t recommend it to anybody — that feeling of completely bombing. It resets you in a way that you’re like,“Huh, I ain’t s—.” I know some comics don’t really care about it, but I really take it to heart. I sit with it for, like, weeks. If one guy hates me because I yell at him, that makes sense. But if I walk onstage and everybody hates me, I did something wrong. I came up too hot, I came on a little too aggressive or something happened there. I really reevaluate that, and then go through it.
“I hope that people feel that they aren’t alone in their, like, weird, gross lives, and that they can be, be a bit more open and be a bit more free about their body,” Tolev said.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Outside the traditional comedy stage, you’ve been all over the place, whether it’s acting on TV or doing award shows. You even hosted the Adult Video News [AVN] Awards. How did that come about?
Ah, my buddy was actually one of the writers, and … every year they asked a different comedian, and he just put my name forward, and that was it. I got it. And I will say, that was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever done. The porn industry, no matter what you think about it, those people are so genuinely nice, and they were so supportive. Like, [for] every award people were getting up and clapping. And, like, one of the girls I hosted with, her parents were there. Like, these Midwestern parents were just so happy their daughter was there. Like, you’re seeing stuff onscreen. You’re seeing the clips they’re showing you, what she’s nominated for. You’re seeing bare stuff, yeah. And they were like, “Oh, my God, great show. And what a great award show.” And I was like, “What the heck?” It was really nice to see, like, parents being a supportive and it was just, it was, I got flashed a lot.
And you just did a shoot with Hustler too right?
I’m doing it in two weeks. Not full nudity. It’ll be sexy but I’m not showing [anything]. Yes, OK, yeah, I know you think Hustler, you think my labia is coming out. No, it’s gonna be civilized. I may talk about what’s going on down there a lot, but, yeah, we will not be showing it. Sorry, boys!
What was the kind of the push for you to do it?
I feel like my comedy, like, works with that. I am so open and free about my sexuality. So I think it really, it just makes sense. Yeah, my personality suits that, minus, you know, seeing nudity, but it’s, like, you know, I’m explaining in detail what it looks like down there. Say, you can use your imagination while you’re looking at the tasteful photos of me.
There’s a whole new audience that’s going to be discovering you through your new special. What is it that you hope that people take away from it at the end?
I hope that people feel that they aren’t alone in their, like, weird, gross lives, and that they can be a bit more open and be a bit more free about their body. A lot of women come up to me after shows and will say, “I haven’t farted in years,” or like, will DM me like months later and be like, “I finally farted in front of my husband and our relationship is so much better” — that’s crazy. But I just hope that it makes people feel more comfortable with themselves.
